Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Re: ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I would like to begin by stating that I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Uzumaki Chronicles for roughly two months, perhaps three. I first saw an add for it in a magazine from Japan and blew a gasket. Found out it was being released here - with a changed ending and new main character villain so as not to SPOIL us (but I shall set aside that anger for another rant) - and began to flounce around happily. I scoured the net for caps, and only got more and more excited. Then a release date arrived, and I tacked it to the marker board on my wall. Then began the countdown. I was late for work on Tuesday (the release date) because I went to three stores before hand, looking for the god damn thing. Wouldn't you know it, no one had it on sale until Wednesday. So, I went early Wednesday. Forcing myself to wait until eleven, when I knew the stores would be open. Only to find, no one would have it until the afternoon. Days without sleep in anticipation: 2 Amount of patience after being denied twice: -200 So, I found a store that would sell it to me as soon as the box was opened - nice guy, really - and went to pick it up. Brought it home, ran upstairs and put it in. God, was I so happy! In the beginning, the game is pretty easy going. It's a bit challenging, because you have to use EVERY SINGLE BUTTON on the friggin' controller. But, the best part is, that using all the buttons, means you can virtually do anything. From Rasengan to Chidori, to the f'n "meat tank". Everything they can do, you can do. You just have to press the right buttons at the right times. Hell, if you want, you can go Kyuubi on enemy nin and beat the ever loving crap out of them with little expense of energy on Naruto's part. You find out right off the bat, that the only place to save is Konoha itself. By passing through the gates, you're automatically healed and rejuvenated. And dude, in the beginning, it's great. The missions are mostly D's, followed by C's, etc. The missions keep you close to Konoha, so there's no real worry about anything. I'm two things. No matter the game. One: I am a treasure addict. I will risk life, limb and comrade for the glory that is getting rich and having stuff. (It's very much the leo in me) This is a good quality to have in this game, because you're gonna need every little thing you can manage to get your grubby little ninja paws on. EVERYTHING has a use, and the more you have, the more you can do. -So take a lesson from your friendly, neighborhood treasure hunter. Stockpile and HOARD! HOARD! HOARD! Two: I am a Save whore. I need to save every other task. Sometimes twice - just to be sure. This can be beneficial in some cases, horrific in others. (Take The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age for example. Saving a ton of progress in the wrong place - during a glitch - caused me to lose my perfect, experienced, armed to the teeth, kill you with one stroke, take a hit to the chest laughing, bad ass, elf. The shock alone caused me to refuse to play the game ever again. And I was ten percent away from finishing the entire game.) In the case of Uzumaki Chronicles, save like it's going out of style! This is one game where saving like a lunatic will help. Early on, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the set up. All missions are in the direct vicinity of Konoha. They're a hop, skip, and jump away. I didn't care if I was low on health, chakra deprived, and dragging my left foot. All I had to do was turn around and poof! Like magic, everything's okay again! However, the saving process becomes a WHOLE different issue once you start to get further away from the village. Trust me on this. I managed to save myself more grief than necesarry with my compulsive need to save. And STILL, I couldn't escape the inevitable! After losing the same twenty minutes of progress TWICE, I chucked my controller, uttered a string of violent curses, and have not felt the urge to touch the game seriously in about the same amount of time. (Having a S..L..O..W connection really helps level the rant down.) I'll probably get around to it later. But, I'm in no rush. And as it is, it looks like the game I so eagerly awaited, is going to be relegated to 'whenever the hell I feel like it...eh, I'll play it later' mentality. Which is sad. Because, I'm sure I could have very easily become completely obsessed to the point of neglecting my health and priorities. Actually, I was really hoping it would. But, I suppose, as all things. It's just another disappointment.

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